Apollo 16 returned the first samples from the Moon’s highlands.
Apollo 16 landed in the Descartes Highlands on April 21, 1972. Commander John Young and lunar module pilot Charles Duke explored the region, while command module pilot Ken Mattingly orbited overhead. Their samples provided direct evidence about the composition and history of the lunar highlands.
The mission was designed to test whether the Descartes area contained volcanic rocks. Instead, much of the material proved to be breccia formed by impacts, helping scientists understand that large portions of the highlands were shaped by bombardment rather than recent volcanism. The crew collected rocks, soil, and core samples during three surface excursions.
Apollo 14 had already landed in the Fra Mauro highlands, but that location is geologically distinct from the Descartes Highlands. Apollo 16 therefore holds the specific first associated with highland samples from its targeted landing region.